This montage of the October 23 Benefit for Puerto Rico at Poisson Rouge (the old Village Gate) was created and contributed by the very talented Garbriel Moreno of Tableaux Multimedia.
Select video of the actual concert will be coming soon. Watch for it here.
Jazz and Latin music have been brothers for as long as jazz has been an art form
Jelly Roll Morton laid it out:
“If you can’t manage to put tinges of Spanish in your tunes, you will never be able to get the right seasoning, I call it, for jazz.”
In 1930, Don Azpiazu knocked down the doors of American popular music with The Peanut Vendor.
Machito and his musical hermano (and real life brother-in-law) Mario Bauzá kicked it into high gear with one of the greatest big bands ever to rock a jazz stage.
Then in 1947, thanks to an introduction by Bauzá, bepop pioneer Dizzy Gillespie teamed up with Chano Pozo to create a model for collaborations between Latin and Jazz musicians that has been going strong ever since.
Started by the Mario Bauzá’s rhythm section and jazzman Sonny Fortune, Monday night at the Gate was THE place to go with crowds lining up around the block to get in.
On Monday October 23, 2017, in support of the people of Puerto Rico, many of the giants who were part of this legendary time came back for a once-in-a-lifetime, never-to-be-repeated reunion with Bobby Sanabria‘s big band Multiverse.
Over time, we will be releasing video of this historic event.
Meanwhile, this is what it’s all about…
No sightseers please. We need givers right now. Please read how you can help.
As bad as the situation was in New Orleans after Katrina – and it was dire – conditions in Puerto Rico are exponentially worse. Approximately 60,000 New Orleanians were stranded in the city for nearly a week.
Over a month after the Hurricanes Irma and Maria, over 3 MILLION Puerto Ricans were still without electric power and medical and other basic services and many still have no access to potable water or reliable food supplies. Improvements are slow and difficult and resources of all kinds are needed.
We ask every Jazz on the Tube subscriber to do whatever they are able – share these pages, spread the word, contact your Congress people, donate money.
Where to send help
We have vetted this short list thoroughly and these are our current recommendations (as of December 18, 2018)
PRIMA (Puerto Rican Independent Musicians and Artists)
In cooperation with Pregones/PRTT
PRIMA is a collective of musicians and artists on the island of Puerto Rico. Their mission is to help sustain the independent music community in Puerto Rico which has suffered catastrophic losses as the result of Hurricane Maria.
PRIMA is partnered with the NYC based non-profit Pregones Puerto Rican Traveling Theater which has been dedicated to supporting Puerto Rican artists in all disciplines for decades.
Contributions to this fund are distributed by PRIMA to artists in need on the island and are tax-deductible.
Any amount, large or small, is welcome and will be put to good use by people who are on the ground, know the needs, and are dedicated to helping the musicians of Puerto Rico.
This organization founded in 1990 has a clearly defined program for bringing and distributing emergency aid throughout Puerto Rico and has already delivered over 1.5 million pounds of emergency provisions to distribution centers throughout the island.
They are well organized, committed, focused on Puerto Rico, and in it for the long haul.
Charity Navigator which rates charities on fiscal responsibility and transparency has rated this group 95.47 out of a possible 100 which is the equivalent of AAA+ in the non-profit accountability world.
This group provides medical, financial, legal, and vocational services to jazz, blues and roots musicians in the United States. Their exact plans and programs for helping Puerto Rico are at this time not known because they have not disclosed them.
If you want to contribute to this group specifically for Puerto Rico relief, we recommend you do so by CHECK ONLY and include a cover letter stating your intention and with a memo to the effect written on your check.
Note: On its website, the Foundation says it reserves the right to use donations it receives for any purpose at its sole discretion.
Jazz Foundation of America
322 West 48th Street, 6th Floor ·
New York, NY 10036
(212)245-3999 · info@jazzfoundation.org
Some facts
1. Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens and have been since 1917.
2. The U.S. government has the material, personnel, transportation, infrastructure and expertise to address this situation on a massive and rapid scale. That it has not done so is a decision based on the assumption by those in control of these public resources that there will be no political consequences for failing to do so.
If you disagree with this deliberate government policy of minimal emergency aid, please contact your political representatives and tell them you want to see meaningful help for the people of Puerto Rico.
Where to send help
We have vetted this short list thoroughly and these are our current recommendations (as of December 18, 2018)
PRIMA (Puerto Rican Independent Musicians and Artists)
In cooperation with Pregones/PRTT
PRIMA is a collective of musicians and artists on the island of Puerto Rico. Their mission is to help sustain the independent music community in Puerto Rico which has suffered catastrophic losses as the result of Hurricane Maria.
PRIMA is partnered with the NYC based non-profit Pregones Puerto Rican Traveling Theater which has been dedicated to supporting Puerto Rican artists in all disciplines for decades.
Contributions to this fund are distributed by PRIMA to artists in need on the island and are tax-deductible.
Any amount, large or small, is welcome and will be put to good use by people who are on the ground, know the needs, and are dedicated to helping the musicians of Puerto Rico.
This organization founded in 1990 has a clearly defined program for bringing and distributing emergency aid throughout Puerto Rico and has already delivered over 1.5 million pounds of emergency provisions to distribution centers throughout the island.
They are well organized, committed, focused on Puerto Rico, and in it for the long haul.
Charity Navigator which rates charities on fiscal responsibility and transparency has rated this group 95.47 out of a possible 100 which is the equivalent of AAA+ in the non-profit accountability world.
This group provides medical, financial, legal, and vocational services to jazz, blues and roots musicians in the United States. Their exact plans and programs for helping Puerto Rico are at this time not known because they have not disclosed them.
If you want to contribute to this group specifically for Puerto Rico relief, we recommend you do so by CHECK ONLY and include a cover letter stating your intention and with a memo to the effect written on your check.
Note: On its website, the Foundation says it reserves the right to use donations it receives for any purpose at its sole discretion.
Jazz Foundation of America
322 West 48th Street, 6th Floor ·
New York, NY 10036
(212)245-3999 · info@jazzfoundation.org
Bobby Sanabria explains what’s in store for the audience this Monday, October 23 at Poisson Rouge in New York City: an unprecedented meeting of Jazz and Latin superstars to benefit Puerto Rico.
David La Mole Ortiz, Puerto Rican conga master, filmed at his home in Puerto Rico. His students include Giovanni Hidalgo, Anthony Carillo, Richie Flores, and Jimmy Morales.
Puerto Rico is part of the United States and all Puerto Ricans are American citizens.
As of this writing only 18 of the island’s 60 hospitals are operating and only 9 of its 52 waste water facilities are. Food, water, and medical services are in short supply for over 3,000,000 people.
From reports I am reading, help has been very slow in coming and many towns and villages have yet to receive any help at all of over 10 days out.
Jazz on the Tube will be contributing 100% of its subscription fees for the month of October to Pregones Theater/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater to provide emergency survival grants to artists and their families in Puerto Rico.
We encourage you to make a generous contribution as well.
The Puerto Rican Traveling Theater was founded in 1967. Pregones Theater was founded in 1979. Both groups have collaborated closely with artists in Puerto Rico for decades and are staffed by serious, reliable people who we trust without reservation.
100% of your contribution will be sent to Puerto Rico to aid an artist (musicians, actors, visual artists etc.) Contributions of any size, large or small, are welcome.
P.S. Our unique programming is made possible by help from people like you. Learn how you can contribute to our efforts here: Support Jazz on the Tube
Thanks.
Merry Christmas from Jazz on the Tube